A display rack unit is assembled from multiple track devices for merchandising articles such as bottled or canned drink products. The display rack unit may include a plurality of elongated track devices detachably interconnected in side-by-side relationship at adjacent sidewalls forming channels for beverage containers to slide along. It is common for adjacent channels to share a common sidewall to conserve space in the cooler. The number of track devices used to assemble the display rack unit is determined such that the overall size of the unit is suitable for placement onto an existing display shelf in a retail environment to fill the width of the shelf. A single retail installation for dispensing canned or bottled beverages can have hundreds of individual channels.
When manufacturing display track devices, cost is a factor, as well as appearance. To reduce material, and thereby material cost, adjacent tracks share a common sidewall, and the sidewalls as well as other members are formed with openings or voids. Sidewalls can be made thinner to conserve material, but thinner sidewalls tend to be flimsy which is undesirable. Strengthening ribs can be formed in the sidewalls to improve rigidity, but ribs effectively increase sidewall thickness thereby requiring more cooler space. The sidewalls, particularly at the front of the display track, have a tendency to spread apart. During use, a track device experiences forces that not only tend to cause the spreading of the sidewalls, but also causes racking the entire display track. Racking is the tendency of one component, which, when subjected to a force, to stress other components thereby distorting the display track causing the display track device to malfunction or break. Racking is a twisting of the structure. Increasing component thickness cures racking and spreading but is undesirable because the increased bulk increases manufacturing costs and lacks the desired aesthetics.
For the retail environment, not only are thinner walls desired, but an unobscured view of the product label in the display track as well. Such constraints have led to the use of an upper cross member at the top front of the track device to bridge the sidewalls or front structure. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,325,221 (Parham), 6,237,784 (Primiano) and 5,645,176 (Jay) disclose track devices with a cross member.
The upper bridging cross member connects at each end to a sidewall or face panel to prevent spreading and reduce racking. Unfortunately, such cross members, when made with thin component thickness, are susceptible to breaking, with subsequent spreading. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a display track device that conserves material and resists racking and spreading.